Knitting-machine.



APPLICATION FILED OOT.12, 1909.

Patented July 30, 1912.

4 SHEETS SHEBT 1.

WETNESSESI INVENTORQ /7 061? .07. Pigeon, amuw 7 A. M. PIGEON. KNITTING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED CUT.12 1909.

1 Q34 Q32 Patented July 30, 1912.

A. M. PIGEON.

KNITTING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED 001:. 12, 1909.

1,034,032. Patented July 30,1912.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

v a WQTNESSESI INVENTOR:

A. M. PIGEON.

KNITTING MACHINE.

APPLIOATIONFILED 0OT.12,1909.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

Patented July 30, 1912.

ALBERT M. PIG-EON, OFKJEROVIDENGE, RHODE ISLAND.

KNITTING-MACHINE.

marinas.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July so, 1912.

original application filed September 19, 1908, Serial No. 453,774. Divided and this application filed October 12, 1909. Serial No. 522,259.

To all whom it may concern:

Be itknown that I, ALBERT M. PIGEON, of Providence, in the county of Providence and State of Rhode Island, have, invented certain new and useful Improvements in .l iliitting-lllachines, whereof the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

My invention relates to knitting machines employing independently movable spring beard needles, and comprises means for independently actuating said spring beard needles and also heard pressers with which they are associated, and thread feeding mechanism, combined to perform the operation of tubular knitting with capacity for the insertion of heel and toe pockets as usually practised in stocking knitters. In this general aspect my machine has been fully described in an application for United States Letters Patent filed by me September 19th, 1908, and bearing Serial Number 453,774, (since issued as U. S. Letters Patent No. 943,230, under date of December 14th, 1909) of which application the present one is a divisional.

It is important to provide machines of the typethus referred to with-means for sinking the loops between the needles, in

order'to facilitate the formation of the series ofloops which is to be interknit with the course last formed upon the needles. It is also important in connection with all knit-ting machines employing independently movable needles, to provide web holders whereby the fabric as it is knit is held. down as the needles advance through the formed loops.

My invention accordingly comprises, and the present application is especially directed to those parts of my machine which perform the combined functions of sinking the loops and also of holding down the web.

It is characteristic of my invention that there is provided a series of movable sinker-s alternating with thenecdles, but operating independently'of them, which sinke'rs are provided with the parts which perform the loop sinking function, and also with parts which perform the Iweb= holding function. The machine is also provided with mechanism for imparting to said sinkers the movements requisite to enable them to perform successfully both these functions.

In my construction, as I have illustrated of the needles and sinkers.

it in the drawings, the loop sinking function, and the web holding function, are each performed by separate notches, with which each sinker is provided at appropriate levels; and. the entire series of slnlters is successively thrust forward and backiand again forward in order toenable the upper notches at the time of the first projection,

to operate as loop sinkers, and to enable the lower notches at the time of the second projection, to operate as web holders. Coinci dently with these motions, and in correspondence with them, other parts of the -mechanism are so controlled as to cause the yarn which is to form the new set of loops, and which has been properly sunk between the needles at the time of the first advancementof the sinkers, to be drawn down to a lower level when these sinkers are again retracted, so that, as the new loops are knit into the already formed web, the said web will be engaged by and held down by the web holding notches at the time of the second advancementof the sinkers.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l,

is a plan view of a spring beardknitter oi the circular type, showing a sufiicient portion of the machine to illustrate my invention. Fig. II, is a vertical section 'of the knitter taken on the line II, II, in Fig. I. Fig. 111, is a partial plan section as indicated by the arrows III, III, in Fig. II. Fig. IV, is a perspective view of a portion of the series of needles showing their relation to the loop sinkers at the region of the forl'nation of the'stitches. Fig. V, is an clevation of the sinker ring and parts carried thereby looking diagonally from the upper right hand corner of Fig. I. Figs. VI, and VII, show two different relative positions Fig. VIII, is a development of the needle cam cylinder and the beard presser cam ring.

In the said figures, .l, designates the bed of a circular knittcr having an annular depression or groove 2,-in which is centered the revolving cam cylinder-3, whose toothed lower periphery 4', is received in groove 2, and held in place by an annular ring 5. The cy inder 3, is rotated by a suitable pinion which of well known construction,

and not shown in the drawings, hence obwith vertical needle grooves 7, in which the needles 8, are guided in their reciprocatory motion. The cam cylinder 3, carries the usual center and stitch cams 10, 11, and 12,

respectively and is also provided with guard cams 13, 15, and 16, and raising cams 17, 18, as clearly shown in Fig. VIII.

IVhen used for oscillatory knitting, as for the formation of heel. and toe pockets, the machine may be provided with the raising pickers 20, and 21, and the drop picker 22, and also a pivoted raising and. lowering cam 23, all of well known construction, and forming no part of the present invention.

Secured to the top of the needle cylinder 6, is a circular plate 25, having an annular depending .flange 26, to the lower end of which is movably secured the presser cam ring 27. Said ring 27, is suspended from the flange 26,, of plate 25, by means of angle pieces 28, whose lateral projections 29, engage a peripheral groove 30, on the said ring. A bracket 31, extending from the needle cam cylinder 3, engages angle lugs 32, and 33, secured on the ring 27, which is 'thereby rotated about the flange 26, of plate 25, in unison with the cam cylinder. The

distance between the lugs 32,and 33, corresponds to the lost motion necessary to allow the shifting of the presser cams in proper relation to the knitting cams, when the machine operates in the opposite direction as in oscillatory knitting. Ring 27, is provided with a raising cam 35, and guard and depressing ca as 36, and 37, which actuate the butts 38, of the beard pressers 39. The said pressers 39, correspond in number to the needles 8, and; are received and guided within the needle grooves 7, of the cylinders 6, and terminate at their tops, in nibs 40, which slide along the shanks of the needles, to press their beards 9, during stitch formation, as will be described later. The pressers.

dash line 1.9, illustrates the corresponding path of the upper ends of the beard pressers.

The annular plate 25, is provided with .radial grooves 45, which receive and-guide the sinker-s 16, which, in their motion, penetrate the wall of the cylinder 3, at its upper end, in slots, which correspond to and register with the radial. grooves 45, of the plate 25.

The sinkers 46, correspond innumber to that of the needles and also of the beard pressers, and are spaced in alternate relation with them, about the periphery of the needle cylinder.

The construction of the sinkers is clearly A sector shown in Fig. II, and also inFig. IV, (the rear portion being cut away). Each sinker has a head 57, projecting upward from its horizontal body, and on the operative face of the head are formed two notches, an upper loop-sinking notch {17, and a lower webholding notch 18. The body of the sinker projects Well forward of the head in'thc form of a ledge (or nose), 45 which assists in feeding the tubular web as it is formed. Upon the rear upper porner is formed the can'l engaging projection 58. The cams which actuate the sinkers, arc carried upon the lower face of a plate 50, having'a depending peripheral flange 51, which encircles the edge of the annular plate/25, and

50, engage the bracket 31, on cam cylinder 3, causing the said plate to rotate with the, said cylinder. Plate 50, comprises the two concentric circular ridges 55, and 56, which are spanned by the projections 57, and 58, of thesinkers 60, whereby the movements of the sinkers are controlled (see Figs. II, and III).

The sinker actuating cams comprise a movable center cam 65, which is supplemented adjacent to its sides by the fixed cams 66, and 67,-and also the cams 68, and 69, which are adjustable by means of screws 70, and 71, which pass through slots 72, and 73, respectively in plate 50. The duplication of these supplemental cams is of course only necessary in an oscillatory machine, where the pair on one side'of the center cam is etfective for the rotation of the machine in one directiom'and the other pair for the reverse-direction.

The center cam 65, is adapted to move radially to control or vary the length of the stitch, and for this purpose is suspended from the plate 50, by a screw. 75, whose and 82, is fulcrumed about a bolt ,86, on a bracket 87, secured to the edge of plate 56. late 88, having an eccentricwcam edge 89, is also pivoted about the bolt 86, and is adjustably secured to a' projecting wing plate 90, on the arm 80, by means of a screwv 91, whose shank passes through a slot 92, in wing 90, and terminates in the said cam plate 88. The cam edge 89, engages pin 95, which is secured in the center cam 65, and moves within a slot 96, in plate 50. Thus it will be seen that motion of the rocker arm 80, will cause cam 65, to be oted within the terminals of .the bracket pushed inwardly against the centrifugal force tending to drive it out, thereby projecting or retracting-the sinkers more or less, as the-case may be.

The motion .of the rocker arm 80, is controlled by a ro-ller cam 100, whose level may be regulated. by any suitable pattern mechanism, Well known in the art, and which engages the lateral arms 81, and 82, already fashioning purposes. -Thelateral projection 82, of arm 80, carries adjustable screws 8. and. 85, which when engaged by the roller cam 100, restore the cam 65, to the position to actuate the sinkers, to produce normal tension upon the thread during the greater part of the knitting oft-he tube. If

desired the screws 84-, and 85, may project to-diiferent degrees beyond the lateral eX tension 82, into the path of roller cam 100, to produce loops of different lengths, in the production of fashioned hosiery. The thread 105, may be fed from a suitable bobbin carrier (not shown), to the eye 106, in the end of the guide 107, which is secured to a wire yoke 108, whose ends 109, are piv- 87. A coiled spring 110, secured to: plate 50, serves to maintain the thread guide in its normal position.

The operation of the machine is as follows :As the machine rotates in the directicn of the arrow in Fig. I, the thread is fed to the needles within the recess formed by the series of sinkers, as indicated at 19.0,

in Fig. IV, and occasioned by the action of the incline 125, of cam 65, on the projection 57, of the said sinkers. This feeding occurs on the level of upper notches 47, of the sinkers, and at the time when the needles are at theirupper position, as is clearly shown in Fig. IV, so that their beards are ata considerable distance above the thread. Further rotation of the nlaohineproduces projections of the sinkers occasioned by the co-action between their projections 58, and the incline 126, on the internal end of cam This causes the thread 105, received within the notches 47, to be forced under tensit'n against the shanks of the needles below their beards,sinking the loops to the desired extent, whereupon, the. needles begin to descend and receive the thread un-- der their bards, as is indicated at 127, in Fig. IV. This position is carefully illustrated in detail in Fig. VI, where the thread has already been received under the heard of the needle, and the nib 10, of the presser 39, has just engaged, the heard to close it.

It willbe seen from Fig. VIII, that the pressers 39, are raised in advance of the descent of the needles as indicated at 130, so that their nibs are ready to engage the beards, to close-them as they descend. After the thread is well under the beards of the needles, the. sinkers again recede as indicated at 128, in Fig. IV, under the action'of the cam 67, which results in the disengage ment ofthe notches 47, on the said sinkers, from the thread 105, to allow the thread to be passed to the lower notch. As the needles continue to descend to their stitch f'ormin'g level, the thread is arrested. by the ledges 49, of the sinkers as shown at 129, in Fig. IV. At this point the sinkers are again projected bythe incline 131, of ram 69, to their normal course of travel, thereby engaging the thread with their lower notches 48, thus acting as web-holders for the remainder of the revolution of the ma-. chine. The beard pressers 39, remain in their upper posit-ion until the needles have descended to their stitch forming level, below the ledges 49, on. the, sinkers 4-6,

shown in Figs. VII, and VIII. This allows the old loops formed on the previous revo- 138, in Fig. VIII.

From the foregoing description it will-be seen that the sinkers perform three distinct functions. First, they sink the thread between the needles, by receivingdt in their upper notches and pressing it against the shanks of the said needles. Second, they assist in the stitch formation, holding the thread on their ledges while the needles arepulled down to form the loops, and feeding the web forward as it is thus formed. Third, they act as web holders, by engaging the web, with their lower notches after the stitches have been formed.

Having thus described my invention, I claim I 1. In a knitting machine provided with individually movable needles, means for musing said needles to successively advance, and means for feeding yarn thereto a series of yarn sinking and web holding instrunicnts, alternating with said needles, and

held to reciprocating movement n a plane held to reciprocating movement in a plane I level and again advanced to hold down the.

transverse to the needles, and means for imparting reciprocatory motion to said instruments, whereby after sinking the yarn between the needles they are successively retracted to permit the yarn to pass to azlower web prior to the advance ofthe needles with which they are associated to again receive yarn.

3. In a circular knittingmachine provided with vertical reciprocating spring beard needles, a circular series of sinkers alternating with the needles, said sinkers'being provided with .web holdin notches; a cam groove in engagement wit said sinkers'; a cam interposed therein, whereby said sinkers are given two successive reciprocations for each rotation of the machine, the first reciprocation causing'the sinker to engage the yarn and sin it between the needles, and the second reciprocation causengage the knit webandhold it down notbeard needles, a series 0 mg the web holding notch of the sinker to 1 withstanding subsequent advancement of the'needles. I

4. In a circular lmitting machine provided with vertical reci rocat'ing spring f horizontally recipro'cating sinkers mounted in alternation with the needles; each sinker being provided with a web holding notch; and means for imparting reciprocation to both needles and sinkers, whereby the sinkers' are successively withdrawn t0 ermit the feeding of yarn to the needles, a vanced to sink the yarn between the needles, again retracted as the needles, are depressed with the yarn under their beards, and again advanced to efi'ect engagement of the web with their web holding notches, whereby said web is held down as the needles again rise to their normal level.

In testimony'whereof, I have hereunto signed my name, at Providence, Rhode Island this fifth day of October 1909.

ALBERT M. PIGEON.

Witnesses:v

, OsoAR A. ,PIGEON,

GEORGE KoLLsTnn 

